What is linux like to use

A Beginners Guide to Linux

Linux offers a different take on desktop computing than Windows and macOS

The Linux operating system offers a rich mix of features and security that make it a great free and (mostly) open-source alternative to macOS and Microsoft Windows. Because it’s different «under the hood,» consider some of the big-picture aspects of Linux and how it compares to the other desktop operating systems before you take the plunge.

What Is Linux?

Linux powers a variety of computer systems from light bulbs to guns, laptops to large computer centers. Linux powers everything from your phone to your smart refrigerator.

In desktop computing, Linux provides an alternative to commercial operating systems such as Windows and macOS.

Linux sources from some of the earliest computer operating systems from the 1960s and 1970s, and so it retains its root philosophies of strong user-level security, customization, and system stability.

Why Use Linux Instead of Windows or macOS?

There are many reasons why you would use Linux instead of Windows or macOS and here are just a few of them:

Which Linux Distribution Should You Use?

The Linux kernel is like an engine. A distribution is an actual vehicle that houses the engine.

So which Linux distribution should you choose? Linux supports several hundred distributions, each optimized for some specific use case:

• Linux Mint: Requires low computer expertise, easy to install, easy to use and has a familiar-looking desktop for Windows users.
• Debian: For those seeking a truly free Linux distribution with no proprietary drivers, firmware or software, then Debian is for you.
• Ubuntu: A modern Linux distribution that is easy to install and easy to use.
• openSUSE: A stable and powerful Linux distribution. Not as easy to install as Mint and Ubuntu but a good alternative nonetheless.
• Fedora: The most up-to-date Linux distribution with all new concepts incorporated at the earliest possible opportunity.
• Mageia: Rose from the ashes of the formerly great Mandriva Linux. Easy to install and easy to use.
• CentOS: As with Fedora, CentOS is based on the commercial Linux distribution, Red Hat Linux. Unlike Fedora, it is built for stability.
• Manjaro: Based on Arch Linux, Manjaro provides a great balance between ease of use and up to date software.
• LXLE: Based on the lightweight Lubuntu distribution this provides a fully-featured Linux distribution for older hardware.
• Arch: A rolling release distribution, meaning that you don’t have to install new versions of the operating system at any point because it updates itself. More difficult for the new user to get to grips with but very powerful.
• Elementary: Linux for people who like a Mac-style interface.

How to Run Linux From a DVD or USB

A live Linux DVD or USB lets you run Linux without installing it to your hard drive. This basically lets you test drive Linux before committing to it and is also good for the occasional user.

Most distributions use a live loader to both test and install the distribution. Ubuntu Linux, a common choice for new Linux hobbyists, offers an excellent live environment.

How to Install Linux

Each Linux distribution relies upon a different installer, which is a program that guides you through configuring Linux. In most cases, you’re free to install Linux as the new operating system on a computer or as a separate OS that doesn’t overwrite Windows.

What Is a Desktop Environment?

A display manager logs you in while a window manager governs windows, panel, menus, dash interfaces and core applications. Many of these items are bundled together to make a desktop environment.

Some Linux distributions ship with just one desktop environment (although others are available in the software repositories), while others offer different versions of the distribution fine-tuned for different desktop environments.

Common desktop environments include Cinnamon, GNOME, Unity, KDE, Enlightenment, XFCE, LXDE and MATE.

Cinnamon is a more conventional desktop environment that looks much like Windows 7, with a panel at the bottom, a menu, system tray icons, and quick launch icons.

GNOME and Unity are fairly similar. They are modern desktop environments that use the concept of launcher icons and a dashboard-style display for picking applications. There are also core applications that integrate well with the overall theme of the desktop environment.

KDE is a classic-style desktop environment with many custom features and a core set of applications that are all highly customizable.

Enlightenment, XFCE, LXDE, and MATE are lightweight desktop environments with panels and menus.

Are There Any Decent Office Suites for Linux?

For personal use and for small- to medium-sized businesses, LibreOffice presents a strong alternative to Microsoft Office, for free.

LibreOffice comes with a word processor with the majority of the features you expect from a word processor. It also features a decent spreadsheet tool that is full-featured and includes a basic programming engine, although it isn’t compatible with Excel VBA.

Other tools include the presentation, maths, database, and drawing packages which are all good.

How to Install Software Using Linux

Linux does not install software the same way that Windows does. A package manager accesses repositories that archive various software applications that work on a given distribution. The package management tool provides a mechanism to search for software, install software, keep the software up to date, and remove the software.

Each distribution provides its own graphical tool. There are common command-line tools used by many different distributions.

For example, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, and Debian all use the apt-get package manager. Fedora and CentOS use the yum package manager. Arch and Manjaro use Pacman.

The Linux Command Line

Given its long heritage and the diversity of approach of modern desktop environments, a lot of Linux still works from a shell session. In the macOS world, these sessions are called the terminal; in Windows, the Command Prompt.

Although the graphical user interface of modern Linux DEs can do just about everything, much online education about Linux relies on the shell because it’s not tied to the peculiarities of a given distribution or window manager. People new to Linux can get away with rarely or never working from the shell, but people who grow to love Linux often go to the shell first because of how easy it is to type one command instead of clicking through many different menus.

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11 Reasons Why Linux Is Better Than Windows

Last updated September 21, 2020 By Ankush Das 609 Comments

Brief: Are you wondering if Linux is better than Windows? Don’t wonder. Linux is better than Windows and in this article, we’ll see the advantages of Linux over Windows.

If you are not a power user, it might seem that “Windows” OS is a better (or easier) choice when compared to Linux. In either case, if you are not enjoying using a Linux distro then Windows would be your obvious choice.

However, in reality, we tend to experience something different, which lets us jump to the conclusion where Linux gets the edge over Windows OS.

Advantages of Linux over Windows

In this article, we will take a look at 11 of the compelling reasons why Linux is better than Windows. Some of the points mentioned here are already discussed in our earlier article on why switch to Linux.

1. Open Source Nature

What is it like when you buy a car, but you cannot see what’s under the hood? Similar is the case with when you use a Windows-powered system.

However, in contrast, Linux is completely an open source project. You can have a look at the source code of a Linux OS, which is a plus.

I know, most people don’t care about this openness of Linux, but to me, this is the most important feature of using GNU/Linux.

2. Secure

Let’s face it; Windows OS is vulnerable to different types of attacks (or hacks). However, Linux is not as vulnerable as Windows. It sure isn’t invulnerable, but it is a lot more secure. Although, there’s no rocket science in it.

It is just the way Linux works that makes it a secure operating system. Overall, the process of package management, the concept of repositories, and a couple more features makes it possible for Linux to be more secure than Windows.

When you have Windows installed, you need to download/purchase an Antivirus program to keep your computer safe from hackers and malware. However, Linux does not require the use of such Anti-Virus programs. Of course, a couple of software tools still exist to help you keep your system free from threats, but it is often unnecessary when you have a Linux system.

Being secure by nature would make things easier for you and save money as well because you will not have to get a premium Antivirus software!

3. Can revive older computers

As the operating systems evolve, so do their hardware requirements increase exponentially. For instance, if you purchase a genuine copy of Windows 10, you will have to meet the minimum hardware requirements to run it successfully, and you cannot run it on just about any low-end system.

Nevertheless, with Linux, you could even utilize one of your oldest computer systems to achieve a task. However, that does not mean that every Linux distribution would work with 256 MB of RAM coupled with an outdated processor. However, there are options which you can install on such low-end systems as well (such as Puppy Linux).

So, being an efficient OS, Linux distributions could be fitted to a range of systems (low-end or high-end). In contrast, Windows operating system has a higher hardware requirement.

Overall, even if you compare a high-end Linux system and a high-end Windows-powered system, the Linux distribution would take the edge. Well, that is the reason most of the servers across the world prefer to run on Linux than on a Windows hosting environment.

4. Perfect For Programmers

Linux supports almost all of the major programming languages (Python, C/C++, Java, Perl, Ruby, etc.). Moreover, it offers a vast range of applications useful for programming purposes.

The Linux terminal is superior to use over Window’s command line for developers. You would find many libraries developed natively for Linux. Also, a lot of programmers point out that the package manager on Linux helps them get things done easily.

Interestingly, the ability of bash scripting is also one of the most compelling reasons why programmers prefer using Linux OS.

Linux also brings in native support for SSH, which would help you manage your servers quickly. You could include things like apt commands which further makes Linux one of the most popular choices of the programmers.

5. Software Updates

Microsoft pushes a software update when it receives a set of problems or if something major needs to be fixed. And, for this reason — your system potentially breaks with an update or you end up waiting for an update to fix your issue for a significant amount of time.

I’m sure if you have a Windows-powered system for a long time, you may have encountered issues with every update.

However, with Linux, you would observe software updates to address every little bug and most of which isn’t system-breaking if you’re using an LTS version of a distribution.

So, with Linux, you will notice more effective and faster updates to fix the problems you might be facing. That’s not the case with Windows.

6. Customization

One major advantage of using Linux instead of Windows is customization. If you like tweaking your system’s looks, Linux is just perfect for you.

Apart from installing themes, you have tons of beautiful icon themes. In addition to that, you can use Conky to display system information on the desktop in the coolest way possible. Needless to say that you can do a lot around Wallpapers in Linux.

7. Variety Of Distributions

There are no flavors of Windows. Yes, you may have different plans & packages which differ in licensing terms, the period of activation, packaged features, and price.

In contrast, you will find tons of Linux distributions catered for a different set of needs. So, you can choose to install any of the available Linux distros according to your requirements.

For example, there are Linux distributions for hackers, there are Linux distributions for programmers, there are Linux distributions for extremely old computers, and the list goes on. There is a Linux for everyone.

If you’re curious, you might want to learn what is Linux to know why there are 100s of Linux distributions.

8. Free to Use

Linux is accessible to the public for free! However, that is not the case with Windows!

You will not have to pay 100-250 USD to get your hands on a genuine copy of a Linux distro (such as Ubuntu, Fedora). So, it is entirely free.

If something is free but useful, it is always the best thing one could expect. With the money you just saved, you can consider enhancing your system (just saying, you can go to Starbucks as well!)

9. Better Community Support

You do not need to hire an expert to solve a problem you are facing on your Linux system. You just need to search for a similar thread on the web for a solution or post a thread to let others solve the problem.

Within minutes of posting a thread on any of the Linux forums, you may expect a reply along with a detailed solution which would finally help resolve your problem at no cost! Not to forget, you should find solutions to most of the common problems in the forums properly explained without needing to do a lot of research.

There are a lot of active Linux users who are always ready to respond to a relevant thread one might have created. The number of community users active on such forums is more than the number of active members on any Windows-focused forum.

However, the community response might vary depending on the Linux distribution being used. You can also reach out for help through our community forum.

10. Reliability

Windows, as we know it, becomes sluggish day after day. You will want to re-install Windows after a while when you encounter crashes or slowdowns on your system.

If you are using Linux, you will not have to worry about re-installing it just to experience a faster and a smoother system. Linux helps your system run smooth for a longer period (in fact, much longer!).

Also, with Windows, you will have to adapt to a habit where you keep on rebooting the system for just about everything.

• If you just installed software, reboot!
• If you recently uninstalled software, reboot!
• If you just installed a Windows update, reboot!
• If the system seems to slow down, reboot!

However, in the case of Linux, you will not have to reboot for the situations mentioned above. You can comfortably continue with your work, and Linux will not bother you.

Another fact that proves Linux to be reliable are the web servers. You could observe that most of the Internet giants like Google and Facebook run on Linux. Even almost all of the supercomputers run on Linux.

So, Why isn’t Windows preferred over Linux for mission-critical tasks? It is because Linux is far more reliable than Windows OS. Period.

Of course, it doesn’t mean Linux does not have issues. But, if we look at the bigger picture, Linux is reliable by design. If you consider trying any of the Linux distribution for your computer, you might want to try Pop OS (my personal favorite) or any of the best Linux distributions we have listed.

11. Privacy

Microsoft certainly tries to anonymize the data collected from every user. However, it does not look convincing with Microsoft’s latest Windows 10. It has already received an enormous amount of criticism of how it collects data, what it should collect and what it should not.

If you have ever used Windows 10, you could only head into the privacy settings to know that everything is enabled by default. Even if you opt out to send Microsoft information about your data, it is still being collected. Of course, Microsoft will not bother revealing it officially with a press statement, but it surely does. So, you would need a set of tools to disable the spying modules of Windows.

In contrast, Linux would be the perfect solution for a privacy buff. First of all, Linux distributions do not collect much data (or none). Moreover, you will not be needing additional tools to protect your privacy.

Do you also think Linux is better than Windows?

Now that you know the advantages of using Linux instead of Windows, what do you think?

If you’re still going to keep using Windows as your primary OS, what reason could you think of choosing it over Linux? If you’ve already made the switch, and using Linux, what more benefits do you observe?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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